Live from ICC 2025 in Sacramento, we sit down with Andrew Hines, Senior Manager of Digital Operations at Autosol. With decades of experience in edge networks and SCADA data collection, Andrew shares how Autosol is helping operators simplify architectures, bridge legacy systems, and enable AI/ML at the edge.

In this episode:

• Autosol’s role in SCADA polling, OPC UA, MQTT & edge compute

• Why Ignition + Autosol is a natural fit for modern architectures

• Helping operators migrate from legacy poll/response to edge-driven data

• Data simplification: one device, one poll, many consumers

• Utilities, oil & gas, and water infrastructure use cases

• Digital expectations across generations (Boomer ↔ Gen Z)

• Edge Compute as the “plate” analogy (multiple workloads, one box)

• Data center & off-grid power challenges: water, cooling, governance

• Autosol’s flexibility, openness, and customer-driven feature development

• The future of Autosol: enabling AI, machine learning, and MCP with more granular, efficient data

📍 Learn more: https://autosoln.com/

📍 Inductive Automation Ignition: https://inductiveautomation.com/

📍 OpSite Energy: https://opsiteenergy.com/

Chapters

00:14 Guest Intro – Andrew Hines (Autosol) joins live from ICC 2025

00:43 What Autosol does + Andrew’s role (Digital Ops & Edge)

01:50 Autosol + Ignition partnership explained

02:50 Where Autosol fits in edge & server-based architectures

04:00 Polling vs Edge-driven: supporting AI/ML at scale

05:02 Industry shift: simplification, consolidation & hybrid networks

06:29 Autosol’s strategy: legacy customers → edge-ready architectures

08:30 Customer-driven development: flexibility & nimbleness

09:05 Beyond oil & gas: utilities, water, power infrastructure

11:00 Digital expectations & generational workforce gaps

12:40 Collaboration, not just software: solving problems with clients

14:20 Convergence of data centers, water, and off-grid power

15:50 The energy cost of AI: why efficient data pipelines matter

17:30 Granular reporting & governance (water/power usage compliance)

18:00 Mid-sized operators: how Autosol engages new customers

20:05 Edge Compute analogy: plate, knife, fork & the entrée

22:00 Flexibility of EACM & multi-application edge boxes

23:01 The future of Autosol: openness, AI, and machine learning

24:16 Wrap-up & next steps

Uygar Duzgun / “Fast Life” / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com